– Says “I’m the most formidable opposition figure in Nigeria”
By Jeremy Fregene
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, and leader of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the political coalition he and others are forming represents a clear and present danger to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Bola Tinubu.
He said the presidency has been in panic mode since news of the coalition broke, because “this broad-based alliance, aimed at reclaiming Nigeria from economic collapse, institutional failure, and democratic erosion, has clearly rattled the ruling elite.”
In a statement released by his Media Office yesterday, Atiku described himself as the single most formidable opposition figure in Nigeria, saying the planned coalition “represents a clear and present danger to the decaying edifice of the ruling party.”
Atiku claimed he has been the target of multi pronged attacks from different officials of the APC and the presidency stating that “the obsession with Atiku’s political future is no coincidence. If, as they claim, Atiku is a spent force, why the relentless smear campaign?
Why the strategic allocation of presidential platforms to attack him?
“No amount of historical revisionism or sanctimony can obscure the fact that Atiku has been a central pillar in Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999, championing reform, restructuring, and electoral integrity when others chose complicity.
“Legacy is not defined by the trappings of office but by courage, consistency, and conviction. Atiku Abubakar’s legacy — as a unifier, builder, and patriot — is deeply etched in the consciousness of millions of Nigerians.
“It is impervious to the revisionist bile of yesterday’s defectors turned today’s defenders of dysfunction. We reaffirm, unequivocally, that the Waziri Adamawa remains focused and unshaken in his commitment to Nigeria’s future.
“He will not be distracted by political jesters masquerading as patriots.
“The rescue and rebuilding of Nigeria is a task of urgent national importance — far too important to be derailed by the petty ego trips of desperate presidential aides.”
Atiku dismissed as pathetic, recent attacks by Daniel Bwala, his former aide turned Tinubu adviser, who he described as a political turn coat. In his words, “It is both ironic and pathetic that Mr. Bwala — a political turncoat who once served as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign — now presumes to lecture a statesman of global standing on matters of legacy, destiny, and retirement.
“His sanctimonious pontificating, laced with bitterness and duplicity, betrays a desperate effort to curry favour with a floundering administration clearly shaken by the unstoppable momentum of the national coalition being galvanized by Atiku and other progressive leaders.
“Let it be clearly stated: Atiku Abubakar neither seeks nor requires validation from political opportunists who shed principles as easily as they change parties.”